NCT06953037

Effects of Acupressure Applied Before Cesarean Delivery on Anxiety, Physiological Parameters and Fetal Heart Rate

Not yet recruiting NA Last updated 1 May 2025

What this trial tests

NA trial testing acupressure in Caesarean Section in 64 participants. Not yet recruiting.

Timeline

15 May 2025

Primary endpoint
5 July 2025

5 July 2025

Quick facts

Lead sponsor	Eastern Mediterranean University
Phase	NA
Status	Not yet recruiting
Study type	INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation	randomized
Design	single group
Masking	single
Primary purpose	supportive care
Enrollment	64
Start date	15 May 2025
Primary completion	5 July 2025
Estimated completion	5 July 2025
Sites	2 locations across Cyprus

Drugs / interventions tested

• acupressure

Conditions studied

• Caesarean Section — all drugs for Caesarean Section →
• Pregnant Women — all drugs for Pregnant Women →
• Anxiety Disorder — all drugs for Anxiety Disorder →

Sponsor

Eastern Mediterranean University

Who can join

Adults 18 to 45, female only, with Caesarean Section or Pregnant Women. Patients with the condition only — healthy volunteers not accepted.

Sponsor's own description

Cesarean section is the most commonly preferred surgical method in cases where vaginal birth is not possible or complications that may endanger the health of the mother and baby occur. Cesarean section rates are increasing worldwide. According to the latest data (2010-2018) from 154 countries covering 94.5% of live births in the world, 21.1% of women have cesarean section births and it is estimated that this rate will increase to 28.5% by 2030. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the cesarean section rate in the USA, which was 32.1% in 2022, increased to 32.4% in 2023. When the cesarean section rates of the Turkey Demographic Health Survey (TDHS) are examined, the rate, which was 7% in 1993, increased to 52% in 2018, an increase of 45% is observed. In the TRNC, this rate was 11.1% in 1981, but in 2017 this rate increased by an average of 7 times, reaching 72.5%. Pregnant women tend to have cesarean sections because they are affected by the risks that will occur during birth, negative birth stories told among the public, and painful birth scenes seen on social media. Studies have shown that despite the high rates of cesarean sections in pregnant women's birth methods, a significant increase in women's anxiety levels is observed. While waiting for the surgery, pre-operative anxiety, fear of the procedure, etc. are more common than other feelings and symptoms.Studies have also shown that anxiety increases in patient rooms, the night before surgery, and when moving to the operating table. In a study conducted by Lopez, the most important causes of preoperative anxiety were listed as fear of the hospital environment (35%), fear of surgery (33%), fear of anesthesia (45%), and unawareness of the surgery (45%). Concerns about the success of the operation (29.3%), fear of postoperative prognosis (19.5%), and surgical complications (11.4%) are the most common causes of preoperative anxiety. High levels of anxiety experienced before surgery cause increased heart rate, blood pressure, and oxygen consumption during surgery.

Controlling and managing preoperative anxiety is one of the most important goals of nursing care worldwide, as in cesarean cases. Mothers need to relax mentally and physically after cesarean sections so that they can care for their babies after birth. A common way to control preoperative anxiety is to use sedatives, but these medications can cause side effects. Therefore, acupressure, which is a non-invasive, low-cost, uncomplicated and non-pharmacological method due to fewer complications, can be used to reduce preoperative anxiety. Acupressure is the application of pressure to stimulate acupoints and meridian lines using an object or fingers, without the use of needles. Acupressure is a simple treatment approach and can be applied by nurses or patients who have received the necessary training, because it is simple and does not require any equipment.

Publications & conference data

No peer-reviewed publications indexed yet for this trial.